Senior Advisor, Constitutional Affairs Prof Makau Mutua addressing the media at Nyayo Stadium on June 4,2022. [File, Standard] President William Ruto has today formed a team to establish a framework for compensating victims of protests and riots. Prof Makau Mutua, Senior Adviser on Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights, will serve as the team’s principal coordinator. Based at the Executive Office of the President, the team will serve for four months (120 days) starting today. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp “The Executive Office of the President shall discharge this mandate in collaboration with the office of the Attorney General, the Interior Ministry, and…
Author: By Betty Njeru
DP Kithure Kindiki speaks during a women empowerment program at Scott Christian University in Machakos town on June 6, 2025. [John Muia, Standard] Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has dismissed claims that the government plans to scrap free primary and secondary education, offering a relief to parents amid concerns over funding cuts. Speaking on Saturday, July 26, in Kanduyi constituency, Bungoma County, Kindiki urged the public to ignore what he called “naysayers.” He said that the government is commitment to sustaining education reforms initiated under former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp “Kenya Kwanza Administration will go…
Sugarcane traders display their produce at Ekerorano in Bonchari, Kisii County. [Sammy Omingo, Standard] The government has raised the price of sugarcane by Sh250, setting the new minimum at Sh5,750 per tonne, effective July 21. According to a circular seen by The Standard, Agriculture Principal Secretary Kipronoh Ronoh directed all stakeholders to implement the new pricing immediately and ensure timely payments to farmers. “Having considered the prevailing ex-factory sugar prices over the past three months (April–June 2025), the committee approved an increase in the cane price from Sh5,500 to Sh5,750 per tonne, effective July 21,” Ronoh said. Follow The Standard channel…
The Freemasons Hall on Nyerere Road in Nairobi. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Imagine this. All your life, you have heard whispers about the Freemasons. The secret handshakes, the dark halls, the mystery. Now imagine being told it’s a club for the elite; suits with deep pockets and even deeper secrets. And then, this week you hear…drumrolls…the Freemasons are “broke.” Well, sort of. They are staring down a Sh19 million debt in unpaid land rates. Not exactly the kind of mystery they want uncovered. But here’s the real shocker. The Freemasons yesterday opened their doors to the public. The Freemasons Hall, or…
Protestors along Kimathi Street in Nairobi during the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations. [File, Standard] Four filmmakers linked to the BBC documentary Blood Parliament have been arrested in Nairobi. Three of them, namely Nicholas Gichuki, Brian Adagala and Mark Karubiu, were taken into custody early Saturday at their studio in Karen. The identity of the fourth filmmaker is yet to be confirmed. The filmmakers are reportedly being held at Muthaiga and Pangani police stations in Nairobi. Their arrests come just days after the BBC released a 40-minute investigation revealing how Kenyan security forces opened fire on anti-tax protesters outside…
Engineers decry corruption in Nairobi development approvals Published Date: 2025-04-26 14:55:57 Author: By Betty Njeru Source: The Standard
A general view of Nairobi city, Kenya. Picture taken on March 12, 2022. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Engineers in Kenya have raised concerns over frustrations in the approval of development plans in Nairobi County. In a statement dated Saturday, April 26, the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) cited corruption, inefficiency, unethical practices, and poor service delivery as major obstacles to a transparent approval process. “There is a mounting body of evidence of corrupt practices entrenched within the county’s approval system. Professionals have reported instances where development plans are delayed or rejected arbitrarily unless informal payments or favours are rendered,” IEK President Shammah…
Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG) founder and CEO, Dr Dr Vongai Nyahunzvi during the premier of Daughter of the Soil documentary in Nairobi on April 11, 2025. [File] A non-governmental organisation changed her life when she was just a young girl. Now, Zimbabwe-born Dr Vongai Nyahunzvi, the founder and CEO of the Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG), is on a mission to do the same for others. Premiering the ‘Daughter of the Soil’ documentary in Nairobi last week, in which she stars, Nyahunzvi says there’s a need to tell African stories that are forward-looking. The 45-minute film traces…
Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG) founder and CEO, Dr Dr Vongai Nyahunzvi during the premier of Daughter of the Soil documentary in Nairobi on April 11, 2025. [File] A non-governmental organisation changed her life when she was just a young girl. Now, Zimbabwe-born Dr Vongai Nyahunzvi, the founder and CEO of the Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG), is on a mission to do the same for others. Premiering the ‘Daughter of the Soil’ documentary in Nairobi last week, in which she stars, Nyahunzvi says there’s a need to tell African stories that are forward-looking. The 45-minute film traces…
A painting by participants at the Freedom of the Press seminar in Germany in November 2024. [Betty Njeru, Standard] There is plenty I could write about Germany. Like the time I ordered pork and was served an entire pig’s head, not quite the juicy chops I had in mind. Or how I nearly turned into a popsicle in my light brown belted coat in the zero-degree November weather. I thought I knew cold, but Germany said, “Hold my beer.” But I digress. Instead, I will tell you about something even cooler than the weather: Germany’s press freedom. During a recent…